WHO announced the start of the third wave of the pandemic

The third wave of the coronavirus pandemic begins in the world. About it stated head of the World Health Organization Tedros Adanom Ghebreyesus.

According to him, the number of cases worldwide is growing for the fourth week in a row, and the number of deaths from coronavirus infection is also on the rise.

“The delta variant is now present in 111 countries and we expect it to become the dominant strain globally, if not already,” Gebreyesus said.

He also drew attention to “a shocking imbalance in the global distribution of vaccines.” Because of this, in different parts of the world, the pandemic is developing in two ways, he explained: the countries with the greatest access to vaccines are lifting restrictions, although there are great risks for unvaccinated groups; in those countries where access to drugs is difficult, most of the population remains vulnerable to infection.

“I called for a mass vaccination of at least 10% of the population in each country by September, at least 40% by the end of this year and at least 70% by the middle of next year. To achieve these goals, we need 11 billion doses of vaccine, ”Gebreyesus emphasized.

At the same time, he said, vaccination alone will not stop the pandemic. The head of WHO recommended that countries take a targeted and consistent approach using the full range of protective measures.